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Sleeve or Bypass?

J

JMOS

Member
Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum and just started the process to get bariatric surgery. I saw my surgeon and he thought the Sleeve was a great option, but since then I have heard from different people that they wish they would have just gotten the bypass. A few people have told me that the sleeve stopped working (or maybe stretched out) after a few years. I love to hear your experiences and suggestions.

Thank you!
 
I am not a medical professional and have no idea which surgery would be right for you. I 100% suggest you do some research on each surgery yourself so you can make an informed decision.

However, I was personally anti-sleeve. Like to the point where I refused to sign a paper agreeing to allow a change in procedure if I was still under and it was deemed medically advisable. I said, nope, close me up unaltered. I had medical reasons for that and honestly, I do not know a single person (personally!!!) who has hit their goal or maintained with the sleeve.

That being said, my husband had the sleeve. Due to medical and safety issues, the surgeon was only willing to perform the sleeve. And I do believe any WLS can be successful long term. It IS a tool and you have to use it properly in order for it to work.
 
I can't talk about the sleeve personally because I got the bypass, and when I had it, it was major surgery, not laparoscopic. But reading this group for 14 years, my opinion is that bypass is better than sleeve. But don't take my word for it. There are many studies, both federal and medical. Many are accessible online, including the one I was in, which is attached to the federal nutrition sites.

It's good to know the pros and cons. But I can tell you personally, it was the best decision I ever made. Even though I had an open procedure which required a longer recovery, I'd do it again and again If I still had the problem. Obesity is dangerous, and yet we openly celebrate food, reward ourselves with it, work on recipes and creating feasts.

I'd go with bypass every time.
 
I had that question also. I researched it as much as possible and was leaning toward the Bypass. But the deciding factor was when my very experienced surgeon recommnended the Bypass over the Sleeve. He gave the pros & cons of both as they related to me and it made sense even though now I do not really remember exactly what he said. But I do remember at the time it was a relief for me to finally make the decision.

My other question is why are there way more females than males getting WLS? I was reading a study where even most of the male WLS patients are older in age (50+) and are doing it primarily for health reasons. I'm pushng 70 and wish I had done it about 30 years ago and then would never would have had the health issues I now have to deal with. :rolleyes: Oh well...Hindsight is always 20/20
 
ojichan said:
My other question is why are there way more females than males getting WLS? I was reading a study where even most of the male WLS patients are older in age (50+) and are doing it primarily for health reasons. I'm pushng 70 and wish I had done it about 30 years ago and then would never would have had the health issues I now have to deal with. :rolleyes: Oh well...Hindsight is always 20/20
Click to expand...

I believe that is because women are the main targets of crazy diet fads etc.They are more likely to have tried Atkins, Weight Watchers, Ally, the cabbage soup diet, intermittent fasting etc. So surgery doesn't seem so extreme after you've eaten nothing but cabbage soup for 2 weeks lol

Also, while men also get pressured to lose weight, there seems to be a lot of pressure to do it the "manly" way. My husband has been very open thru the whole process of WLS and I can't count the number of times he was told to take up running. Like hello .. What do you think is going to happen to a 300+lb man with heart disease if he takes up running?!?!

If your appendix was endangering your health, you'd have surgery. But people still treat obesity as a personal failing instead of the disease that it is.
 
Hello. Write a pros and cons list? Ask your surgeon for the medical opinion as to which fits you better. Ask for details. Read some things online, their are tons of studies.

Now, with that being said: I went into my 1st appointment with the surgeon planning on sleeve. I felt like it was less of a major surgery, less risk. We talked about it, my medical/family history, how much weight I wanted or needed to lose, etc. He then explained why he felt bypass was a better option for me but told me to think about it and let him know that he would do either. The main thing was that I had SEVERE GERD and I learned that sleeve tends to create a gerd/acid reflux issue or worsens it if you already have it. (not 100% but more common than not). My GERD was horrible, for years... I was on 2 prescriptions plus still eating OTC tums and rolaids and still having issues. I could not imagine what worse would be like. Long story, short... I went with Bypass.
 
I had gone into it wanting the sleeve and thinking it was less invasive. My surgeon told me that it’s not reversible, unlike RnY, due to them removing a portion of stomach rather than rerouting. She also said the risks of RnY surgery were comparable to gallbladder removal, which I found reassuring. And as K said, I had issues with severe GERD and there was no way I could tolerate worsening of that situation. Plus, on average more weight is lost with bypass. With all these factors, my surgeon and I decided on the bypass being the best choice for me. Good luck with your research, I’m sure your surgeon will help you make an informed decision!
 
I can not tell you how helpful this is. I don't think that people talk about having weight loss surgery on social media, at least the people that I see losing tons of weight just show them working out. I don't know if they have had surgery or if they are just losing weight by diet and exercise. I don't feel comfortable asking people from my past if they had surgery, so thank you everyone for answering these questions!!!
 
JMOS said:
Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum and just started the process to get bariatric surgery. I saw my surgeon and he thought the Sleeve was a great option, but since then I have heard from different people that they wish they would have just gotten the bypass. A few people have told me that the sleeve stopped working (or maybe stretched out) after a few years. I love to hear your experiences and suggestions.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
I'm new to this site but I did get the sleeve in 2019 it worked for a while but my weight loss stalled after a year and a half and I didn't lose anything else. I May 2022 I went in for revisions surgery and got the full bypass I wish I would have just gotten it in the first place so far I have lost 40 pounds so it's working extremely well for me. That's my experience hope this helps you decide.
 
I am new here also as of today. From what I have ready and what my Surgeon told me, bypass helps more with things like Diabetes, but I wouldn't be able take nsaids (asprin, ibuprofin, aleive) after bypass due to greater risk of ulcers. He said both has an average 70% excess weight loss. Bypass is reversable. I think the last would be an extreme case. I was leaning toward sleeve over concerns about nsaids and joint issues, but my worst joint issues are weight driven and am now leaning more toward Bypass because it helps more with Diabetes. I think there were some differences in some of the possible side effects,
 
missyinacage said:
I am not a medical professional and have no idea which surgery would be right for you. I 100% suggest you do some research on each surgery yourself so you can make an informed decision.

However, I was personally anti-sleeve. Like to the point where I refused to sign a paper agreeing to allow a change in procedure if I was still under and it was deemed medically advisable. I said, nope, close me up unaltered. I had medical reasons for that and honestly, I do not know a single person (personally!!!) who has hit their goal or maintained with the sleeve.

That being said, my husband had the sleeve. Due to medical and safety issues, the surgeon was only willing to perform the sleeve. And I do believe any WLS can be successful long term. It IS a tool and you have to use it properly in order for it to work.
Click to expand...
There are plenty of people on these forums who have hit and even surpassed their goal having sleeve surgery. There are also many people who have maintained their weight loss after having the sleeve surgery. If the sleeve surgery works, why suggest a more invasive surgery if it is not medically needed?
 
Welcome to the Forum. There are plenty of people on these forums who have hit and even surpassed their goal having sleeve surgery. There are also many people who have maintained their weight loss after having the sleeve surgery. If the sleeve surgery works, why have a more invasive surgery if it is not medically needed? Your surgeon knows best based on what medical facts/history you tell them youve had. If you have acid reflux/GERD, then bypass would probably be a better option. If you dont have any medical issues, I would listen to the surgeon and go for the least invasive procedure.
 
JMOS said:
Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum and just started the process to get bariatric surgery. I saw my surgeon and he thought the Sleeve was a great option, but since then I have heard from different people that they wish they would have just gotten the bypass. A few people have told me that the sleeve stopped working (or maybe stretched out) after a few years. I love to hear your experiences and suggestions.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

JMOS,

I'm new here and am only out 25 days from my surgery so what I have to say may not mean much, however I think anyone who is going in for either surgery has already spent a good portion of their life dealing with weight and the obvious harm it does both physically and emotionally. That being said whatever decision you make will require a lot of hard work and a complete lifestyle change because either surgery is only a tool. It comes down to how you use it. Any one of us can decide not to exercise, eat cheesecake and ice cream daily and just be passive in dealing with our weight loss.

I have 2 friends who went with the sleeve and one who went with the bypass. Out of those 3 2 have hit their weight loss goals. One friend who had the sleeve will admit that she has stopped regulating what she eats and only goes on walks for her exercise. (she loves pastries, cake and ice cream and eats these whenever she wants) I love her dearly, but she never really wanted to have to exercise, nor did she want to give up eating goodies. She told me once she used it as she did any other diet and once, she got down to a weight she was happy with she just stopped most exercise and watching what she ate. She has since gained back about 40 pounds. My friend who had the bypass surgery said he wishes he had gone with the sleeve like his mother because she lost all her weight and had no complications. He has lost all his weight, but fights malabsorption of vitamins and he now can't eat certain things that his mom who had the sleeve can still eat. But even though he can't eat some things he is still so happy he had the surgery because he is so much healthier than when he was heavier.

Any decision you make will be hard but one you will have to give all your energy and heart to. I personally went with the sleeve after a lot of research and many discussions with my surgeon. I also had a year between my initial consult and the surgery and lost about 82 pounds on my own. But I will share with you what my reasons were for choosing the sleeve.

  1. The sleeve surgery is less complicated.
  2. It has a faster recovery time.
  3. It has less issues with malabsorption or nutrient absorption.
  4. It less likely to have complications after surgery.

I got the above information from the NIH or National Library of Medicine, but you need to do your own research and talk with your doctors/team members. Ask any and all questions because there is NO DUMB question when it comes to your health, and you are your best advocate.

The above were my main concerns when making my decision, but I took in a few other factors as well. My surgeon told me she has done quite a few reversals of the gastric bypass surgery, but she has only done those for extreme situations where the patient had severe medical complications like server food intolerances, bad leakage, infection and malnutrition. She said that for the most part the patients she did the sleeve on may not have lost as much weight as her bypass patients, but they also didn't have as many complications. Now that was just her experience with her patients. She said most of the patients who had to have the reversals ended up with lifelong complications like damage to other vital internal organs, Gallstones, ulcers, bowl perforations and she said that even though the stomach and small intestines can be repaired they will never function like they did before.

Taking that all into account I decided on the sleeve, and I am happy so far with my results. I have had no GERD or dumping, nausea or vomiting, constipation or diarrhea. I am still on the stage after surgery with only liquid protein and pureed foods, but I have already lost close to 40 pounds (part of this was during the 2-week pre-op diet) and what's even better is I am up and moving more. (Well I was until I broke a bone in my foot and had my first ever instance of GOUT) But I have a hard boot for my foot and am now back to walking and I can still go to the gym and work on my upper body weight training.

Whatever decision you make I am sure it will be what is best for you and what you can live with. Remember either surgery is only a tool to help in your weight loss, it's what you bring to the table that will make the most of whatever surgery you go with. You have to be committed to regular exercise and maintaining the correct diet, otherwise surgery will only get you so far.

Good luck with your journey I hope for the best for you.
 
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